WAC 504-26-403

Conduct board proceedings.

(1) Any student charged by a conduct officer with a violation of any provision of the standards of conduct for students that is to be heard by a conduct board is provided notice as described in WAC 504-26-401(5).

(2) The written notice shall be completed by the conduct officer and shall include:

(a) The specific complaint, including the university policy or regulations allegedly violated;

(b) The approximate time and place of the alleged act that forms the factual basis for the charge of violation;

(c) The time, date, and place of the hearing;

(d) A list of the witnesses who may be called to testify, to the extent known;

(e) A description of all documentary and real evidence to be used at the hearing, to the extent known, including a statement that the student shall have the right to inspect his or her student conduct file.

(3) Time for hearings.

(a) The conduct board hearing is scheduled not less than seven days after the student has been sent notice of the hearing, except in the case of interim suspensions as set forth in WAC 504-26-406.

(b) Requests to extend the time and/or date for hearing must be addressed to the chair of the university conduct board, and must be copied to the office of student conduct. A request for extension of time is granted only upon a showing of good cause.

(4) University conduct board hearings are conducted by a university conduct board. A goal of the hearing is to have an educational tone and to avoid creation of an unduly adversarial environment. The hearings are conducted according to the following guidelines, except as provided by subsection (6) of this section:

(a) Procedures:

(i) University conduct board hearings are conducted in private.

(ii) The complainant, accused student, and his or her advisor, if any, are allowed to attend the entire portion of the university conduct board hearing at which information is received (excluding deliberations). Admission of any other person to the university conduct board hearing is at the discretion of the university conduct board chair and/or the student conduct officer.

(iii) In university conduct board hearings involving more than one accused student, the student conduct officer, at his or her discretion, may permit joint or separate hearings.

(iv) In university conduct board hearings involving graduate students, board memberships are comprised to include graduate students and graduate teaching faculty to the extent possible.

(v) The complainant, the accused student, and the student conduct officer may arrange for witnesses to present pertinent information to the university conduct board. The conduct officer tries to arrange the attendance of possible witnesses who are identified by the complainant. Complainant witnesses must provide written statements to the conduct officer at least two weekdays prior to the hearing. Witnesses identified by the accused student must provide written statements to the conduct officer at least two weekdays prior to the conduct hearing. The accused student is responsible for informing his or her witnesses of the time and place of the hearing. Witnesses provide information to and answer questions from the university conduct board, the complainant, and the accused student, as appropriate. Questions may be suggested by the accused student and/or complainant to be answered by each other or by other witnesses. Written questions are directed to the conduct board chair, rather than to the witness directly. This method is used to preserve the educational tone of the hearing and to avoid creation of an unduly adversarial environment, and to allow the board chair to determine the relevancy of questions. Questions concerning whether potential information may be received are resolved at the discretion of the chair of the university conduct board. The chair of the university conduct board shall have the discretion to determine admissibility of information.

(vi) Pertinent records, exhibits, and written statements (including student impact statements) may be accepted as information for consideration by a university conduct board at the discretion of the chair and/or conduct officer.

(vii) Questions related to the order of the proceedings are subject to the final decision of the chair of the university conduct board.

(viii) After the portion of the university conduct board hearing concludes in which all pertinent information is received, the university conduct board shall determine (by majority vote) whether the accused student has violated each section of the standards of conduct for students as charged and what sanctions, if any, are appropriate.

(b) If the accused student is found responsible for any of the charges, the board may, at that time, consider the student's past contacts with the office of student conduct in determining an appropriate sanction.

(c) The accused student or recognized student organization is notified of the conduct board's decision within ten calendar days from the date the matter is heard. The accused student or recognized student organization shall receive written notice of the decision, the reasons for the decision (both the factual basis therefore and the conclusions as to how those facts apply to the standards of conduct for students), the sanction, notice that the order will become final unless internal appeal is filed within twenty-one days of the date the letter was personally delivered, deposited in the U.S. mail, or electronically mailed, and a statement of how to file an appeal.

(i) The written decision is the university's initial order.

(ii) If the student or recognized student organization does not appeal the conduct board's decision before twenty-one calendar days from the date of the decision letter, it becomes the university's final order.

(5) There is a single verbatim record, such as an audio record, of all university conduct board hearings (not including deliberations). Deliberations are not recorded. The record is the property of the university.

(6) If an accused student to whom notice of the hearing has been sent (in the manner provided above) does not appear before a university conduct board hearing, the information in support of the complaint is presented and considered in his or her absence, and the board may issue a decision based upon that information.

(7) The university conduct board may for convenience or to accommodate concerns for the personal safety, well-being, and/or fears of confrontation of the complainant, accused student, and/or other witnesses during the hearing provide separate facilities, and/or permit participation by telephone, audio tape, written statement, or other means, as determined in the sole judgment of the vice president for student affairs or designee to be appropriate.